How You Can Make Online Reviews Work in Your Favor
You know that content is king, you’re a social media marketing whiz, and your email marketing campaign is as targeted as they come. You know how to utilize both traditional and digital mediums to reach an audience, but do you know how to master the art of online reviews?
It’s a highly controversial area for some business owners. After all, how can you possibly take control of your customer’s opinions? While you can’t control the masses, you can harness the power of online reviews to benefit your revenue. It’s not an ancient Chinese secret or a mystic art. All it takes is knowledge, the right tools, and the right attitude.
The Power of Reviews and Ratings
The rise of Yelp taught business owners that customer reviews can make or break a business. Word of mouth found an online platform and took off in unprecedented ways. Now, one sour review could cost you up to 70% of potential customers.
While Yelp primarily deals in restaurants, the trend extended into search engines like Google and social media platforms like Facebook. Now, consumers hold the power to shar their experiences with the world.
You should already know the impact a handful of negative reviews can have on your fiscal year. Studies and surveys show that 84% of consumers rely on ratings when choosing everything from a six-pack shop to doctors. Out of that majority, 91% are between the ages of 18 and 34. For most businesses, that’s their entire target audience or at least their biggest spenders.
The question remains, how do you make these reviews work in your favor if they’re out of your control. Even the best, customer-driven businesses find themselves with negative reviews, right? Here’s what you need to know.
Gaining the Edge
Businesses across the country now rely on companies like Bird Eye to help them stay on top this powerful marketing tool. Take these Schoenberg Family Law Group reviews for example. By utilizing these marketing companies, they’re able to maintain a stellar rating in one of the most oversaturated markets in America for their industry.
The trick is in the tools these companies offer. They give you the ability to create custom templates that ask recent customers to leave a review of your business on high traffic areas like Google. The level of customization keeps things personal, which generates a higher level of ratings.
You can see when a consumer leaves a rating or review in real time thanks to smartphone notifications. When they sing your praises, a simple thank you will do. When they leave a negative comment, you can remedy the situation as fast as lightning. Now, consumers see your proactive approach to customer service and the fact that you care to interact with them.
The combination allows Schoenberg to maintain a rating above 4.1 stars with over 90% five-star feedback. If it can help a law firm beat out their competition, imagine what it could do for your business. Making reviews work in your favor isn’t an unattainable goal anymore. Like everything else these days, the power lies in your fingertips.